


Momentary

by Arsenic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-09-11
Updated: 2006-09-11
Packaged: 2020-08-11 09:22:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20151310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arsenic/pseuds/Arsenic
Summary: Remus knows things change.





	Momentary

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Lynette's bday.

Remus has been living slow day-in and slow day-out with Sirius for nearly a month when the Weasleys descend upon the house. For a while the noise they make as a collective helps drown out the house, the recollection it holds. Remus can see each word of his mother's portrait killing Sirius more quickly--and more violently--than even the Dementors.

An additional plus to the situation is that Molly seems nearly as offended by Sirius' emaciated state as Remus is. She would, no doubt, be equally offended, but she doesn't have the privilege of licking her tongue along the crest of Sirius' naked hipbone. Nobody but Remus has that privilege. Which is, naturally, the way Remus plans to keep things.

Harry's appearance less than a month later helps even more, although it's hard to tell. Remus knows because when he presses his chest to Sirius' back in the dark, his lover's breathing comes easier, without quite so much thought. He knows because occasionally he can feel Sirius in the man's kisses. Before, it was just lip and tongue and teeth and rote mechanics, memories the man barely had.

Remus tries to carry their memories for them.

When Harry leaves, (as he must do, he must, Remus knows this and does not blame him, still how he wishes. . .) Sirius comes back, already in his human form before he reaches Remus (which is a shame, Remus would so like to bury his hands in Padfoot's fur, to play a bit of catch, to _pretend_). Remus touches his fingers to Sirius' chin. Sirius allows it as he would not allow it of anyone else, and it is this allowance that forces the words, "I love you," from Remus' mouth.

Remus expects Sirius to laugh, to choke something bitter and only mimicking of actual mirth from his throat. Rather he says, "Remus," and it is lonely, and desperate, but above all, it is loving.

Remus says, "Shhh," and presses his lips to the velvety patch of skin where Sirius' ear meets his neck. "Shh."

In the near flavorless state of Sirius' skin Remus can taste their lack of a past, their likely lack of a future. He has tried to force himself to care, to think about something beyond these moments, something more than the strength of Sirius' instinctive grip around his wrist, or the dark of Sirius' eyes. But Remus has always known happiness as a conditional and momentary state-of-being. That does not make it less for him.

Sirius says, "Love you, love you," and it sounds like a memory coming to him, but Remus knows that it is the now, the this.

Remus says, "Yes, _yes_."


End file.
